Possible to repair a Marc Jacobs frame bag?

HitchcockBlonde

HitchcockBlonde

Bag (and shoe) lady
O.G.
Oct 27, 2006
2,524
4
#1
Hi ladies!

First, may I share my new purchase that I just got on salvage? It is a pre-owned MJ Karen bag from 2006 that was featured on the Purse Blog, seen here:

http://www.purseblog.com/brands/marc-jacobs/marc-jacobs-karen-leather-frame-handbag/

marc_jacobs_karen_leather_frame_handbag.jpg



I got it for a steal as a pre-owned salvage sample bag (from a reputable store of course - it is definitely authentic!). I just love it and it looks fabulous on. But it was a steal mostly because it needs a bit of repair.

The bad news...The frame on one side was broken. Not totally broken, but the hinge had come detached from the frame inside the bag. So, the bag still looks great and holds together well, but because the hinge does not attach to the frame, the kiss lock does not close tightly.

Is it possible for a great purse guy to repair a broken frame in a MJ bag? Or will I have to wear it as is or return it? I am going to take it down to the best purse and shoe guy I know of around here (San Francisco) but I was wondering if anyone had any tips or experiences with trying to get a broken frame or frame hinge of a MJ bag fixed.

Thanks for any experience anyone might have! And, if I can successfully fix the bag, I will post pics! :drool:
 
#2
do you have pics of the broken area??? if so, i think i could tell you whether or not it could be repaired easily....and im sure there's some frisco gals on here that can recomend a good fix-it shop ;)
 
#3
Thanks so much. My digicam has been acting up but I managed to get a few (not great) pics - hopefully they will help.

The first pic shows both sides of the hinge. Broken hinge on the left
The second pic shows the broken side where the hinge has come away from the frame.
The third pic is the side that is not broken - this is what the hinge is supposed to look like.
The fourth pic is a bonus quick pic of the cuteness :smile: (Bag is much cuter on - if I can fix it, I will post better pics soon!)

Thanks so much for any help you can give me. I would love recommendations of where to fix it, too - I have a shoe and purse guy who is pretty good but would love to hear from Bay Area girls.

Thanks so much in advance :smile:
 

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#5
DivasDare said:
Your bag is pretty. I hope that you will be able to get it fixed.
Click to expand...

Thank you! I was so excited to get it. It looks fabulous on. (The color is more like the first pic, from the blog, in real life) And the leather is really gorgeous. I think it is the same leather they used on the Hudson bags that same season. But it worries me that the bag doesn't close tightly now. The kiss lock pops open occasionally.

So, even though it was a salvage, they said I could return it if I was not able to fix it. So, I'm crossing my fingers!
 
#6
is there an area of the frame broken off then?? if you have the broken part, i would think they could re-soder it together. they may have to remake the metal piece, if it is broken and missing a piece though....its a bit hard to tell from the pic...i defiantly think it's somehing fixable though. you may even call up the MJ store about repairs as i think it's a fairly recent bag, no?
i hope they manage to repair it though, its a gorgeous bag!!
 
#7
^^Thanks! I don't think a piece is missing - the two ends of it still fit together. I don't think there is any part of the frame missing, I think the hinge part just broke from the frame on that one side. Sorry my pics couldn't capture it any better. Maybe they could weld or soder it together but I wonder how successful it would be (and how much it would cost -- eek!)

I feel better knowing you think it is possible, so maybe I will take it down to the shoe repair guy tomorrow and give it a try!

Thanks for your help!
 
#8
MJ.com will fix it for free if you contact them via their website.. they'll send you a repair authorization number and the address to where you should send it. It will take a couple weeks, but you'll get your bag back brand spankin new... This bag is within the 1.5 year time limit.

Congrats to you! I love the Karen bag.
 
#9
I second thithi's advice - I emailed Diego at Moda Express this morning regarding a possible repair and he literally responded in the next 5 minutes. I think you have to go through the MJ repair line to get an authorization number and all that, but it's worth it, as my repair was free, the return shipping was free, and the repair was done in about a week with the bag sent back to me in a brand new dustbag looking as good as new!

Good luck - the bag is gorgeous!
 
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